ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 2556 http://www.s-gabriel.org/2556 ************************************ 21 Jul 2002 From: Sara L Friedemann Greetings! You wanted to know if the arms "Per pale vert and azure, on a pile throughout argent, a salamander tergient palewise, tail enflamed, gules" would be appropriate for a late 15th-century Italian woman. You also said that if the flaming salamander was not appropriate, you'd be interested in a cant on the surname . Here is the information we have found. We have found only two examples of salamanders used in medieval armory. One is the badge of James, 9th Earl of Douglas, who used a salamander in his badge in the 15th century. [4] The other is the 16th-century badge of the family of Francois I of France, where it is depicted as either breathing flames or fully surrounded by little flamelets. [1,2,3] It is also probable that the Austrian Order of the Salamander used the charge as a badge; it would not be implausible for a family in northeastern Italy with an ancestor who was a companion of the order to have incorporated the charge into their arms. [5] However, without explicit evidence that salamanders were used in Italian heraldry, we cannot recommend them as the best recreation. As far as we know, piles were used almost exclusively in English armory; we haven't found any examples of them in Italian arms, so we can't recommend a pile as a good choice. You asked for suggestions on possible cants. A likely cant on would be 'cauldron, soup-kettle, melting-pot' or 'kettle, cauldron.' Incorporating a cauldron as the main charge of your arms would be a fine cant. A less likely cant would be on 'hot'; we have found evidence for flames in armory from Siena, and so this could be a possible choice. [6] If you'd like us to suggest appropriate designs using a cauldron, please write us again and we'll be happy to help. We hope that this letter has been useful to you, and that you will not hesitate to write again if any part was unclear or if you have further questions. Research and commentary on this letter were provided by Zenobia Naphtali, Talan Gwynek, Arval Benicoeur, Adelaide de Beaumont, Maridonna Benvenuti, Laurensa de Chambord, and Juliana de Luna. For the Academy, ~Aryanhwy merch Catmael, 21Jul02 --------------------------------------- References: [1] Pastoureau, Michel, _Traite/ d'He/raldique_, 2nd ed. (Paris: grands manuels Picard, 1993). p.157 [2] "Chateau of Chambord" (WWW: Affordable Tours.com) accessed 07/15/02 http://www.castles.org/castles/Europe/Western_Europe/France/france5.ht m [3] "Chateau Chenonceau" (WWW: Loire Valley Online) accessed 06/16/02 http://www.lvo.com/GB/MAG/CHATEAUX/CHEN/CHEN2.HTML [4] Drummond-Murray of Mastrick, Peter, Slains Pursuivant of Arms. "The Bloody Heart" (WWW: Douglashistory.com) accessed 06/16/02 http://www.douglashistory.com/library/bloody_heart.htm [5] "History of Orders of Chivalry: a Survey" (WWW: Francois Velde, 2001) accessed 07/21/02 http://www.heraldica.org/topics/orders/ordhist.htm [6] Borgia, L., et. al., eds., _Le Biccherne : tavole dipinte delle magistrature senesi (secoli XIII-XVIII)_ (Roma : Ministero per i beni culturali e ambientali, 1984).